Fallen Off the Face of the Earth?

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. For some reason all the little people in my life have been demanding more attention. We have also come to the realization that six people in 1345 square feet just isn't working. Maybe if we got rid of all the stuff, but that isn't going to work for an artist, kids or a husband with lots of hobbies. Instead we are just going to have to find a bigger house. We have been busy trying to get this place back in shape to sell. All our free time has been dedicated to painting, bathroom repair,yard work and cleaning. My creative time has been severely limited. I thought I would throw up the few projects that I have managed to create the past month or so.

I bought a pair of white canvas shoes to paint a while ago. They sat on my desk for a couple months. Finally, before going on vacation I pulled out the paints. The kids had fun watching. I'm not really sure why I picked pink. I guess I was feeling girly. I took them with me to Monterey, but didn't wear them. I felt shy when it came down to it. I have worn them around town a few times since then. My husband infered that I looked like I was in junior high. I do have to admit that they are something I would have worn back then.

The box I created for our Out of the Box artists group. The assignement was to create something using paper mache and old socks. I didn't have a lot of time, so I cheated and used some fabric paper that I made a while back. I lined the box with socks from my orphan socks box. I then added various fibers and wire to the top. I really love working on boxes. They are fun and hold the promise of treasure. I also like to hide little things in them. I usually forget. Then I find a little present when I look inside. Today I found some orange Tic Tacs.

The other pieces I made even longer ago, probably back when it was snowing in April. I'm still waiting for the sun to come and warm things up around here. I know I can't really complain about sixties and raining, no tornados, no floods, but my heart longs for summer and not being cold!

I'm also feeling the calling to do something BIG. I think that has contributed to my feeling a little blocked. About 18" x 24" is the largest I have worked. I don't know if I'm afraid of putting a lot of effort into something and it not working, or if I'm just not sure where to start. I know I need to just pull out the fabric and sit down at the sewing machine. I know it would be good for my soul. So many things that I know in my head. Now I just need to do it!

The Big Water Reveal

Ocean Dreaming

Today's the big day for our Twelve by Twelve "water" reveal. This has been the only project that I have managed to work on the last month. Read more about it on the Twevle by Twelve blog.

The State of My Work Table

Okay, I admit it, I haven't done anything art related in weeks. I would say that I have wanted to, but if I really did I would have cleaned off my desk and made the time. I can say that I have wanted to want to create. Instead I have been trying to get caught up with all the other things around the house and yard. We are also considering moving closer to my husbands work. His commute would be cut from an hour to around ten minutes. Plus we desperately need a larger house. Six people, arts and crafts supplies, and lots of hobbies in 1350 square feet just isn't working very well. We'll see what the summer brings. For now it is time to get disciplined and finish up my water quilt for this weekend's reveal.

Home Again

This is my lovely family, enjoying the sunset at Point Pinos, near Monterey, CA. The wind was cold and the jackets were back at the hotel, so we made due with towels.

We arrived home last night from six days in California and over 2000 miles in the car. After a rather rough start--think car sickness, migraine, trying to sleep in the car--we had a wonderful time in Monterey. The west coast was suffering through a heat wave, which made the weather perfect at the beach. We played in the waves, went to the boardwalk in Santa Cruz, visited the Aquarium and enjoyed each other's company without all the distractions and to do lists of home. For some reason, the camera always seemed to be back at the hotel or in the car. I just can't seem to remember everything.

Now it is back to the real world, and hopefully I will have time to create soon. Maybe when I tackle the mountain in the laundry room and restock the refrigerator.

The Tide is Turning

I feel like I might finally be emerging from the chaos and mental funk. The last month has been marked by snow in mid-April, a broken water heater, a trip to the emergency room and a dead opossum in our garden, along with the regular challenges of life. The kids are recovering from the flu and we have a vacation planned for late next week. I finally have hope that life will settle down to a manageable level of chaos and we will have some fun again. (I'm a little afraid to put it in writing though! That old superstitious me coming out I guess.)

My creative time and focus has been a little limited. I did have a bit of energy to make some bookmarks. I love how they turned out. As a hopeless fiber girl, the ribbons and yarns satisfy my need to touch and stroke something soft. I love the way they cascade out of a book. And I don't need to worry about loosing the bookmark in the covers of the bed when I am reading at night. The painted watercolor paper gives me a chance to play with color and the messy nature of paint. I don't usually paint with a brush. I like to use a scrap of cloth and really spread the paint around. Then I also end up with some fun fabric to play with too. Finally the plus sized inchies let me sew away with fabric and thread. The only things missing are thicker embellishments. But I thought beads, buttons and wire wouldn't be the best things to put inside a book.

On another possitive note, I applied for a business license yesterday. Now I can write all these craft supplies off on my taxes! I would really like to make and sell more, not necessarily for the money, but for the joy of creating. Right now, I'm just kind of fumbling along, but I am trying to be easy on myself and take my time. The part I hate is marketing and selling. If somebody else would just do that for me, I would be a happy camper. I have a feeling most artist probably feel the same way. For now, it's baby steps.

Trying to Recover My Sanity

The last couple of weeks have been the type that make me question if I have what it takes to be a good mom, homeschool teacher, and wife, let alone friend, artist or any of my other roles. I've been in a mental funk and the kids have been being kids, no desire to to their school work or think of others. On top of the daily grind, my oldest daughter fainted last week and we took a trip to the emergency room. Now her and her sister have a nasty virus with a high fever. I'm just waiting now for the rest of us to get sick.

On the positive side, I did sign up for Artfiberfest in Port Townsend next October. I am so excited about a three day, four night break just for art. It should be the perfect preparation for the craziness of the holidays and a long winter. My husband is also very willing to send me off to other classes or retreats. The old saying, "if mom's not happy, noboby's happy!" is very real in his mind and he is very anxious to not be reminded of it again.

Through all of this I have been trying to do a little creating to improve my spirits and regain my sanity. These are a few mini, 2"x3" quilts that I have been working on. I'm hoping to paint some frames soon and get these into my etsy soon.

...and the Winner is:

Sorry, I'm a little late on the drawing. My husband was gone for the weekend and the kids left me with little energy for anything. After a touch of pampering last night, I'm feeling a lot better and hopefully ready for the week ahead.

I have to say that I had a lot of fun with this giveaway, especially learning a little more about some of the wonderful people I have met through blogging. The lucky winners this time are Doreen Kinkade, Brenda Smith, and Pamela Rice. I'll be making you each something along the lines of your favorite pieces. Please email me your mailing addresses so I can mail off your personal creations, hopefully some time this week.

I only just realized that this post never was actually published. This last week has been rather rough. Hopefully the tide is turning and I will have a chance to catch up with my art life. I'm sure Doreen, Brenda and Pamela are a little confused about the email I sent them. Please forgive me!

3 Days Left to Enter

I realized that I didn't give any timeline for my 100th post giveaway. I will choose a winner this weekend and create something special for the lucky gal. There is still plenty of time to sign up! Just leave a comment on my 100th post telling me you favorite piece.

Pink and Orange Explorations

Terri Stegmiller at StegArt challenged me to work with pink and orange. She sent me an image of a piece she has been working on and I have been having fun exploring the color combination. First, I started by painting some fabric with pinks and orange. I then quilted it with dark pink, light pink and copper metallic thread. I also found a scrap of fabric paper that I made last summer. Then it was time to pull out all the embellishments. I found beads, brads, buttons, wire, fibers and various scrapbooking embellishments. The only problem was I had no idea for a design. The weekend weather as awful, full of rain and hail, and I was in a funk!

To try to get out of the funk, I decieded to work on some plus sized inchies. They are easy and I could try out the different embellishments. Each one has two 1/2" strips of quilted fabric on the outside with a 1/2" strip of fabric paper in the center. I always have fun making these and I can play with different ideas by moving them around. I'm not certain what I am going to do with them. I might mount them on heavy paper and paint a frame for them.

I then had to make six more inchies for a mini treasure box filled with fabric beads. I love the beads spilling out everywhere. They are so little and precious and filled with hope. Each one a little dream. My only problem is that I don't have anywhere to display these little boxes that wouldn't be incredibly tempting to little fingers. I really wouldn't mind them touching if it wasn't for the stickiness and the fact that things tend to disappear. I know, I know, some day I will miss the sticky fingers, but for now they drive me crazy.

Finally, I used all the scraps from the inchies for this mini quilt. It really needs more contrast. The beads, wire and yarns are a little lost. I keep working. Now, if only I wasn't so tired from life. Summer is coming. The sun always energizes me and we hopefully will be able to take a break from school. There is always HOPE!

100th Post Giveaway!

I made it to my 100th post in less than a year. In honor of the occasion, I changed the subtitle of my blog. After almost a year, I've finally accepted the title of "Artist" instead of Wanna Be. My art life does seem like my alter ego though, so I added the "secret" part to the title. In real life I still feel just like "Mommmm!" but I'm sure as the kids grow I will be able to embrace life as me more.

I love sharing my work, so I'm doing another giveaway. Please let me know your favorite work from my etsy store, or this blog and I will make something special for the winner. Make sure I have your email address so I can let you know you are the winner.

More Spring Showers

I used the fabrics I quilted earlier to make a larger "Spring Showers." This piece is 13-1/2" x 18-1/2". The bright colors and the touch of shine make me smile. I love how the bright green really makes the purples and pinks pop! I added glass beads for some sparkle and finished the edges with yarn. I have it hanging in my window right now to try to distract myself from the snow, hail and dark gray that we have outside all weekend.

Itching to Try Something a Little Bigger

I have been working so small lately. I'm starting to think that I need to try something a little bigger. Bigger for me is probably anything larger than 12" x 12" so don't be expecting anything huge. I painted up some fabric and quilted, or should I say free motion embroidered, flowers with metallic thread. I love the colors, ranging from wine to teal -- all my favorites. I think I need some more bright yellow green to really make the colors pop though. Now I'm just thinking up ideas and trying to find some time. And I've also been intstructed by my kids that I need to clean up my desk. I am always getting on them, and it has been a while since I've been able to see the surface.

Another thing to keep an eye out for -- I'm nearing my 100th post, so I thought I would do a little give away in honor of this special event. This one is 98 so be on the lookout!

A Tiny Taste of Spring

This last weekend we finally had a tiny taste of spring. The sun came out from behind the clouds and it got HOT. Our indoor thermostat reached 80 and it was even warmer in the front yard. We went for a bike ride, worked in the garden and made ice cream. I even managed to get a sunburn. I'm not complaining though. I needed the sun after all the rain and cold. Sadly, it didn't last. We're back to RAIN and COLD. There is even snow showers in the weekend forecast. Snow in late April in the Puget Sound area is just WRONG!!! I know, I know, I shouldn't really complain. We don't have all the crazy weather that most of the country faces every year. A little drizzle is nothing compared to tornados, hurricanes and floods. I know we have it good, but when has that ever stopped a girl from wanting more. Okay, I'm done with ranting about the weather. At least I don't feel guilty about staying inside and creating.

This first piece was an experiment with adding a little silk organza over my other quilted fabric. I have a whole mess of interior designer samples from my mom's friend. I figured it was time to pull some of them out and play. I tried adding some bits of green velvet, but I quickly learned that velvet doesn't work for raw edge applique. The top of the piece was chopped. To balance the piece I added the stitching and wire swirls. I titled it "Patience" since it is still waiting for that touch of color. This piece is about 3" x 5".

I played around with the flower stitch foot for this piece. A spring in the first foot broke, so I had to wait for a new one. I like the beads better in person. After looking at the photo, this one needs a little work. It is about 5" x 8".

For this piece, I tried making some traditional blocks that I cut up into quarters. When I pieced them back together everything blended together. The center of each block was lost. I added the squares of organza to provide some definition. Then of course they needed something on top, so I added the flower and beads. Oh, and this one is about nine inches square.

And finally, my very favorite piece, "Spring Showers." I love the bright colors contrasted with the green. The flowers were created from some fake flowers that I folded into eighths. I found a necklace at the Bainbridge Island Rotary Auction and Rumage sale last year made from painted metal beads. I love these big, round beads. They made perfect centers (or bases, depending how you look at them) for my flowers. I only wish that I had more like them! I then added the seed beads as if they were being poored out of the flowers. I just love how it all turned out. This one is about 8" square, and I even have a shadow box frame that is a perfect fit. I have a feeling this one is going to live at my house for a long time!

Vase of Cheer

Time to add a little color to that bright green -- and these flowers fit perfect. I love this one with the sunny flowers (and it doesn't hurt that the sun is poking out from behind the clouds today. I cut the green fabrics on an angle and sewed them together in a fan shape. When I auditioned the flowers a big smile came to my face, just what I and the piece needed. I think this one would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift, so if it doesn't sell in my Etsy shop before then I might take it myself. I hope you are all having a wonderful spring day! I'm off to play.

Another Treasure from Out of the Box

Last night I attended my third "Out of the Box" meeting. We are a group of artsy individuals who come together once a month to share a challenge piece that we have created over the last month. Okay, most people create them in the couple days before the meeting, but don't tell anyone. Last months challenge was to create a piece of art using a material in an uncustomary way. The original example given was a barbed wire bra, Ouch! I wanted to create an art quilt. Only problem was thinking of a material that I could quilt that hasn't already been done. I settled on bandaids and a couple gauze pads. I did cheat and use painted felt and cotton fabric for the back. I didn't have big enough bandaids and was babysitting my neice and nephew. We couldn't have gone to the store if I had wanted to since I didn't have room for all the kids in the van. The bandaids took the acrylic paint wonderfully and were easy to quilt. The stuck right were I put them. The gauze pads were a little trickier because they didn't like to release from the bandaids when I made a mistake. The project was fun to play with materials in a silly way. I'm a little nervous about next month's project. We have to create our creative self portrait.